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It’s not that the Hoosiers’ coach thought his players didn’t play hard. He wouldn’t go that far. But his team definitely didn’t have the energy he thought it needed in a Big Ten matchup. It didn’t play at the “fever pitch” he believes is necessary for IU to beat the likes of Iowa, Ohio State and Penn State. And the players-led meeting the following Monday reinforced that.

Allen admitted after last Saturday's loss to Penn State if that energy hadn’t returned against the No. 16-ranked Nittany Lions, the outcome would have been much worse than the final 33-28 margin. He challenged the players and they chose to respond. But in order to knock off Minnesota (3-4, 0-4 in Big Ten) in Minneapolis, the Hoosiers have to pair that “fever pitch” with a performance that lacks the game-changing miscues they committed against Penn State.

“It’s just one of those scenarios where most of the time you don’t want to beat yourself, and when you have a chance to make your play at the point of attack, you have to make your play at the point of attack,” special teams coordinator William Inge said. “When you have a chance to execute, you have to execute.”

IU (4-4, 1-4) and Minnesota aren't familiar opponents. They haven’t played each other since 2013. But both teams are in the midst of losing streaks after 3-0 starts.

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The Hoosiers will now have Reese Taylor as the team's backup quarterback.
Jordan Guskey, IndyStar

“Going to be a tremendously hard-fought, physical game,” Allen told reporters Monday. “They’ve got a lot of playmakers on offense coming together and playing better every single week and defense that flies around, one of the top in Big Ten in tackles for loss and has the sack leader for Big Ten right now (Carter Coughlin).”

On paper Penn State appeared more formidable, and IU still put itself in a position to win before it got in its own way.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Peyton Ramsey threw an interception and freshman running back Ronnie Walker Jr. fumbled. Defensively, the Hoosiers couldn’t hold Penn State to field goals in key spots. And Allen specifically called out the special teams’ mistakes postgame as ones that, “really hurt us.”

Mistakes overshadowed a blocked extra point and onside kick recovery. And there were multiple missed opportunities to recover fumbles on returns, too. Mistakes that didn’t allow Inge’s group to be the “winning edge” for the Hoosiers he strives for it to be.

“We have to be at our best when it counts the most, and when you have a chance to make game-changing plays you have to be able to do so,” Inge said.

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Fitzgerald is enjoying his time on the field this season.
Jordan Guskey, IndyStar

Freshman running back Stevie Scott eclipsed 100 yards again against Penn State. The defense kept Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley from throwing a touchdown, even if he did rush for more than 100 yards. And Penn State often struggled to move the ball the length of the field.

IU showed again it has the talent and energy to drive a ranked conference opponent to the edge. The Hoosiers responded to what very well could have been a season-defining loss to Iowa. Now IU has to limit the mistakes that could keep it from a fifth win this season.